"It’s been a frustrating project," City Councilman Chris Coleman said Monday.

Construction began in March, but four months later, the project is only about 45 percent done. The contractor, Iowa State Contractors Inc., has until the end of September to finish the work.

The Principal Financial Group donated the $10 million white-arched bridge to the city in 2012 to celebrate the company's 125th anniversary. It sits on the north end of the 1.2 mile Principal Riverwalk that connects the city’s downtown trails.

Six years later, the city discovered the bridge's nonskid surface was separating from the metal deck, breaking apart and had rust discoloration showing through, though the material was supposed to be impervious and prevent corrosion of the underlying metal structure.

"In addition to having a good surface for pedestrians and bicyclists, there was concern that the failure of the wearing surface would eventually impact the integrity of the deck system," said Pam Cooksey, city engineer.

Initially, bids for the repair work were rejected when they came back more than $100,000 higher than engineers' $160,000 estimate. But Des Moines eventually signed a $244,000 contract with Iowa State Contractors Inc. in November.

Cooksey said Iowa State Contractors Inc. did not have enough workers on the project in June, causing concern that it would not be ready by the Sept. 30 deadline. The city will fine the contractor $750 per day after that date.

Since then, there have been more workers and increased field supervision, she said.

"They're not horribly behind. They have made some progress over last couple weeks," Cooksey said.

On Monday, the Des Moines City Council approved a $34,294 contract with WSP USA Inc. to inspect the bridge in September. Cooksey said a routine inspection is recommended every two years. The Women of Achievement Bridge is more costly because of its unique design.

"In terms of the inspection dollars, those are just necessary dollars to make sure citizens are getting from the contractor what we thought we were buying," Coleman said.